Did you get to see our most recent Encore show “All Hands on Deck”? If you didn’t, you missed a wonderful show about a group of people coming together – all hands on deck – to figure out a way to accomplish two great, noble objectives at the same time instead of sacrificing one for the other. A World War II troupe of singers and dancers is on a tour selling war bonds, but suddenly they are ordered to go to Chicago for a live radio show for Armed Forces Radio.

So, abandon the local audience and the task of raising money to finance the war for the equally important mission of giving comfort to the troops fighting the war? The cast figures out a way to do both and puts on a great show at the same time.

As I was preparing to address an audience of Encore supporters before the show, I started thinking about what a beautiful metaphor “All Hands on Deck” is for how we support our students at Fort Hays State University. In fact, I recently met a student, Kattie, whose personal story is the perfect example. Kattie was confronted with the possibility of having to choose between her education and supporting her mother, but with help she also figured out how to do both.

She knew from a young age that she wanted to be an accountant. She loved numbers. Her dad owned his own business and her mom served as the county treasurer. Both inspired her, and both fueled her dream to go to college. Kattie says her parents strongly insisted she go to college because they saw so much potential in her.

Her journey started with her decision to attend Fort Hays State. Kattie said she chose FHSU because of the amazing opportunities that she knew were available within the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship as well as the “Everybody’s Business” living and learning community. She could pursue her dream of becoming an accountant. The close-knit learning community did in fact serve to help her transition from a very small high school, make friends quickly and find study partners.

It would also provide the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean Island of St. Martin to be an intern helping start-up companies with their business plans.

Kattie said that, as a first generation student, she worked throughout high school to save for college, and our affordable rates and small class sizes were a major factor in her final decision to attend FHSU. She applied for every scholarship and grant she could, because she knew she would need help financially to complete college. She was able to secure a workstudy job on campus, and she immersed herself in her studies and in campus life. She joined Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, Catholic Disciples and several other student organizations. Her academic efforts earned her a spot on the Deans Honor Roll.

And then the unthinkable happened – in the midst of her second semester at FHSU, her father, who was self-employed, unexpectedly passed away, leaving Kattie and her mom with funeral expenses and the loss of family income. Often at these critical junctures, people find blessings or get stuck. Kattie found blessings.
She returned home to be with her mom and to help make plans to celebrate her father’s life and to figure out, with her mom, how to move forward. She said the support she received from FHSU was incredible. Each of her professors encouraged her not to drop her classes. Some assignments were modified and deadlines extended. Professors checked in with her while she was at home. Her FHSU family sent flowers, plants, and, especially, lots of outreach. With the help of our caring faculty and staff, Kattie completed her freshman year, is still enrolled today, and is thriving.

I have to pause here to recognize the incredible courage and love of Kattie’s mother. I cannot even imagine the strength it took for Kattie’s mom to encourage her to go back to college and finish the semester. I imagine that her mom’s natural instinct in this time of great loss would be to hold on extra tight to Kattie. But she did not. Just as she and her husband insisted on Kattie going to college in the first place, her mom encouraged Kattie to move forward.

And I know that like her mom, Kattie had to dig down deep to move forward. Fortitude. Resilience. Courage. These words describe Kattie and her mom and honor Kattie’s dad.

For Kattie and all of our students – FHSU is simply an “All Hands on Deck” university! Its faculty, staff and generous donors have designed and built an institution dedicated to its students and their success, in college and in life.

In Kattie’s words: “Even before this travesty, Fort Hays State was home to me, and my relationships with the beyond-wonderful classmates, professors and people here have only grown stronger. In the few years that I still have left here to complete my degree, I am taking classes and working during the week, seeing my mother and close friends and family on the weekends. I continue to take courses until I am eligible to sit for the CPA exam, ultimately becoming an accountant practicing somewhere in Kansas. I am so very grateful to the donors of FHSU and don’t know how I could be here without them.”

I am so proud of Kattie, her mother and this community. I know Kattie will continue to thrive. I cannot wait to see her walk across the commencement stage. I will grip Kattie’s hand tightly and smile to see in her the bonds of our university, the parents who believed in her so deeply, and her beautiful story of heart and home.

We gained Pinky the cat back in the summer of 2005 when we visited a family’s farm on the 4-H tour. My son and daughter begged me to let them adopt the little white barn kitten with the pale pink ears. Although she technically belonged to my children, she continued to live with me after both kids graduated from high school and left for college. We lost her last year to illness after 12 years as our furry companion.

Almost 85 million households in the United States own at least one pet. For many people, pets are not just companions– more than 63 percent of pet owners consider their pets to be a part of the family. Dogs and cats are the most popular, but fish, birds and reptiles are also common household pets.

Regardless of the type of pet, the average American spends approximately $500 per year on pets– more than they spend on budget categories for hobbies, toys and footwear. In addition to the basic cost of the pet, other pet-related expenses may be overlooked or forgotten in family budgets.

As with other categories of the household spending plan, it is wise to include and track pet expenses in the family budget. A new publication from K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) released just last month can help families keep an accurate record of their pet costs. You can find the new publication entitled “Dogs, Cats and Birds, Oh My! Factoring Pet Costs into a Family Budget” by searching for MF3368 at the KSRE Bookstore website at www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu.

If you’re considering adding a pet to the family, or just trying to get a better handle on where your money goes, keep pet expenses in mind. Costs for regular services and products such as licenses, annual vet visits, medications, dental cleanings and pet food add up, and other specialty items and services for pets are growing at an increasing rate.

In addition to the regular costs of pet ownership, there are periodic pet costs to consider as well. If you’re a new pet owner, think about what you’ll need to house and protect your pet. For example, will you need an outdoor dog house or an indoor crate or both? Large or active pets may require you to add a fence to your property, and some families supplement a physical fence with an electronic barrier to keep their pets safely at home.

If you travel, it is important to factor in the costs for pet care while you are away from home– with or without your pet. The cost for a pet sitter or kennel service can be significant if you leave your pet behind, while traveling with your pet requires a secure pet carrier, extra supplies for feeding and waste disposal and possible pet deposits and/or transportation fees when the pet is along for the trip.
Other pet costs may include pet insurance and end-of-life considerations. Pet insurance is similar to health insurance for humans, covering illness, accidents and emergencies, but there are some policies designed to help pay for preventative care also.

When beloved pets pass away, there are certainly emotional costs, but also some financial costs as well. Pet owners may incur charges for medications, body disposal, burial or cremation and other costs.
So, is the extra cost of pet ownership worth it? Research has shown that cat and dog owners have fewer medical appointments and are less likely take certain medications than non-pet owners. According to the CDC, pets can decrease several chronic health problems, including blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness.

The decision to add a pet to the household varies with each person or family and their specific circumstances. If you decide to get a pet, be realistic about the potential costs up front and track your pet expenses like you would other spending categories so you have good financial information. The Pet Budget Worksheet included in the new KSRE publication can be a useful tool for keeping accurate financial records related to the costs of pet ownership.

Linda K. Beech is Cottonwood District Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

As all school districts must eventually face, USD 489 (Hays) and USD 466 (Scott City) had both determined that their facilities needed major upgrading and decided to float bond issues in their respective districts last fall.  USD 489 is about three times larger, but they both provide for rural Kansas schools with similar types of need.  However, one decided to use science-based community input and the academic resources of FHSU to help them inform the voters and obtain high quality data for determining how large of a bond the voters would support and what types of projects would cause them to oppose the bond.  The other decided to balk at using research to measure what the voters want, opting instead for a strategy of informing the voters what they “should” want and basing community input on highly biased sources.  Here are the results.

After listening to a proposal by the Docking Institute, USD 466 commissioned a bond survey that provided them with data estimating the proportion of voters who would support a bond of various sizes.  The bond survey also identified which tentative construction projects were popular and which ones were bond killers.  The USD 466 Board used the information to build a $25,000,000 bond proposal that the bond survey indicated would likely pass.  The survey cost the district about $5,000.  On Nov. 7, the bond passed 745 to 710.  On their first try, USD 466 passed the largest bond a majority of voters would support, and the children attending school in Scott City will soon be getting the upgrades they urgently need.

After listening to a similar proposal in October of 2016 during a strategic planning session, one which the Docking Institute facilitated for free at the Superintendent’s request, the USD 489 Board subsequently ventured off on their own to prepare a bond reflecting what they thought the community “should” support.  Numerous attempts by the Docking Institute to warn the Board of research suggesting their bond would fail or encourage them to conduct a bond survey were curtly ignored or rejected.  The Board wasted undisclosed sums of money to develop and provide color mailings, Power Point presentations and food to the very few who attended their promotional events or read their condescending mailings.  After publicly humiliating their critics, the Board floated a totally unrealistic bond in spring 2017 that, as predicted by Docking researchers, failed.  But did they admit their mistakes, change strategies and commission a bond survey?  No!  Instead they lowered their expectations by $30 million and proceeded to repeat the exact same strategy six months later.  This second bond, though tens of millions of dollars lower, failed by a greater margin than the first bond, suggesting that the voters are extremely frustrated with the gross incompetence demonstrated by their BOE.  In less than one year, this Board wasted tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars (my estimate) trying to pass unpassable school bonds.  As I predicted in my previous letter, re-elected Board President Lance Bickle’s response was, oh well, we’ll just try again next year.  Who knows how many attempts it will take using this “shot in the dark” strategy, with each iteration costing precious time and money? 

I had hoped the newly elected Board members, especially Greg Schwarz and Mike Walker, would bring some rationality and innovation to the process, which it has to a degree.  But choosing the same Board President who has failed twice already and current discussions by the Board to bring in more consultants who know nothing of Hays and its culture suggest the Board is pursuing the same flawed strategies for a third time. Meanwhile, the Scott City kids get their learning resources now, while Hays kids will have to wait, and wait, and wait.

Gary Brinker, Hays

By STACY CAMPBELL
Cottonwood Extension District


Many areas of Kansas had good rains early last fall, but limited precipitation the rest of the fall and winter. Most early-planted wheat fields have good stands and advanced stages of growth, but later planted fields may have variable stands and limited tillering coming into spring. Producers should pay close attention to the growth stage of their wheat before making their herbicide applications.

Dicamba can be applied to wheat between the 2-leaf and jointing stages of wheat. Application of dicamba after wheat reaches the jointing stage of growth causes severe prostrate growth of wheat and significant risk of yield loss. Dicamba is effective for control of kochia, Russian thistle, and wild buckwheat, but is not good for control of mustard species. Kochia, Russian thistle, and wild buckwheat are summer annual weeds that may emerge before or after wheat starts to joint, so timing of dicamba for control of these weeds can sometimes be difficult. Fortunately, dicamba provides some residual control of these weeds following application.  

Other herbicides that must be applied prior to jointing include Agility SG, Olympus, Orion, PowerFlex HL, Pulsar, and Rave. Beyond should be applied to 1 gene Clearfield wheats after tiller initiation and prior to jointing, but can be applied to 2-gene Clearfield wheats until the second node is detected at the soil surface.

MCPA and 2,4-D have different application guidelines. In general, MCPA is safer on wheat than 2,4-D, especially when applied prior to tillering. We recommend that 2,4-D not be applied to wheat until it is well-tillered in the spring. Application of 2,4-D prior to tillering hinders the tillering process, causes general stunting and can result in significant yield loss. 

2,4-D is labeled for application to wheat from the full-tiller stage until prior to the boot stage of growth, but is probably safest between full-tiller and jointing stages of growth. Wheat will sometimes exhibit prostrate growth from 2,4-D applications applied in the jointing stage of growth, but yields generally are not significantly affected if applied before the boot stage of growth.

MCPA is relatively safe on young wheat and can be applied after the wheat is in the three-leaf stage (may vary by product label) until it reaches the boot stage of growth. Consequently, MCPA would be preferred over 2,4-D if spraying before wheat is well-tillered. Neither herbicide should be applied once the wheat is near or reaches the boot stage of growth, as application at that time can result in malformed heads, sterility, and significant yield loss. 
 
Both 2,4-D and MCPA are available in ester or amine formulations. Ester formulations generally provide a little better weed control than amine formulations at the same application rates, but also are more susceptible to vapor drift.  However, the potential for vapor drift damage in early spring is minimal.  Ester formulations generally are compatible for use with fertilizer carriers, while amine formulations often have physical compatibility problems when mixed with liquid fertilizer.

Other herbicides used in the spring on wheat can be applied up to the time the flag leaf is visible, or later. Affinity BroadSpec, Affinity TankMix, Ally Extra SG, Express, Harmony + 2,4-D or MCPA, Harmony Extra, Huskie, Quelex, and Supremacy must be applied before the flag leaf is visible. Huskie, Weld, and WideMatch can be applied through the flag leaf stage. Herbicides that can be applied later in the spring – prior to the boot stage — include Ally + 2,4-D, Amber, Finesse, Starane Ultra, and Starane Plus Salvo.  Starane is a better choice than dicamba products for control of kochia after wheat moves into the jointing stage of growth. Remember that weeds are most susceptible at early growth stages and coverage becomes difficult as the wheat canopy develops, so the earliest practical and labelled applications generally result in the best weed control.

Information provided by Dallas Peterson, Extension Weed Management Specialist.


Remember all that talk about the $135 million or so that new federal income tax cuts were going to dump into Kansas? The deal was with lower federal income taxes, more of Kansans’ money would be subject to Kansas income taxes.

Pay less there (to the federal government) and you pay more to Kansas because you have more money left over. Pretty simple, you pay it there or here and the Statehouse crowd would rather you pay it here because of the opportunities it offers them.

One opportunity is for lawmakers to take that extra money that state income taxes will now yield and think of cool things to do with the cash that they didn’t have to do anything unattractive to get…like raise your taxes.

Now, that’s one way to go. Maybe use that additional money for schools, roads, health care, law enforcement, welfare and everything else we expect the state to provide? Well, so far, the answer is either yes…or no.

Spending that money on things Kansas want is generally a politically popular thing to do. Sometimes.

But there’s another politically popular thing to do with money the state didn’t expect to get—give it back to voters in an election year by cutting their state income taxes. That probably has a nice ring to it in this year when the Kansas House stands for election, and even statewide candidates can portray themselves as liking the move.

The Senate, where just one (replacement) member stands for election to the remaining two years of his term, appears to like the idea of what can pass for smaller government–“give it back” is the slogan. Who doesn’t like lower taxes? Not many who vote.

So, the Senate GOP plan is shaping up as taking that extra money the state will receive because of the new federal tax law and using it to pay for Kansas income tax cuts. Imagine that, how it can be turned into tax cuts, economy in government, all those political slogans we’ve been hearing.

And while most folks want K-12 public education funded adequately and the poor and the ill cared for, well, there are few things as nice as a tax cut.

But how to do that tax cut in the most politically valuable manner is a question. There are tax cuts and there are politically profitable tax cuts, which is what the Senate Tax Committee proposed.

First, decouple from the federal tax form, so you can itemize deductions for Kansas income taxes even if you take the new, big federal standard deduction. And then take the Kansas deductions which were slashed last year—property taxes, mortgage interest, charitable contributions, medical expenditures—and restore them to full strength again. That’s what the committee did, oh, along with boosting Kansas’ own standard deductions for taxpayers by 50 percent.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? It clearly tilts the majority of that $135 million toward homeowners with sizable mortgage interest payments to write off, but who’s going to notice if more prosperous Kansans get the bulk of that savings?

Well, probably not many are going to notice, but the ones who do may be mostly Republicans. At least those Republicans—if the tax plan passes—will be reminded several times who voted for their tax break and who didn’t.

Oh, that court-ordered increase in school funding that the $135 million would help pay? Or raises for state employees who haven’t gotten raises in several years and are actually seeing their pay drop as inflation and health insurance premiums rise? Those probably also would be good uses for that money.

But what beats an election-year tax cut?

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

Long hours, less-than-ideal weather conditions and working around large machinery combine to make farming one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. This spring planting season slow down and ensure you and your family members stay safe.

During 2017, 10 deaths were reported in farm and ranch incidents in Kansas. The youngest fatality involved a nine-year-old extra rider on a tractor who fell off and was caught in the mowing attachment.

The oldest occurred when an 82-year-old male passenger died from injuries after being thrown during a tractor rollover. Tractor overturns remain the single greatest cause of death to young farm workers under the age of 25 and to older workers over the age of 55, according to statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The most effective way to prevent tractor overturn deaths is the use of a Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS). In 2012, 59 percent of tractors used on farms in the United States were equipped with ROPS. If ROPS were placed on all tractors used on U.S. farms manufactured since the mid-1960s, the prevalence of ROPS-equipped tractors could be increased to more than 80 percent.

Growing up and working on the farm instills a life-long love of agriculture, but as adults and parents, we must make sure everyone on the farm is safe.

On average, 113 youth less than 20 years of age die annually from farm-related injuries (1995 -2002), with most of these deaths occurring to youth 16-19 years of age.

Of the leading sources of fatal injuries to youth, 23 percent involved machinery (including tractors), 19 percent involved motor vehicles (including ATVs), and 16 percent drowned.

Riders on tractors remain another major cause of injuries and deaths on the farm. No riders should be allowed on a tractor unless it is equipped with a manufacturer-approved second seat, according to the National Safety Council.

Farmers, parents, children and the American public must understand, once and for all, that anyone other than the operator of a farm tractor should not be on the tractor – period. Any rider is at tremendous risk to be seriously injured or killed.

Always be aware of surroundings and think ahead. Look out for potential hazards. Notice power lines before moving ladders or other farm equipment. Turn off that combine before removing weeds and other debris.

One cardinal rule to remember always – keep children out of the workplace. That means away from machinery, storage bins and fields – anywhere they are in harm’s way.

Always be prepared for an emergency. Enroll in safety classes, especially CPR and first aid. Carry safety kits in your farm vehicles. Make sure you have them in your home and sheds.

Above all, take a little extra time this upcoming spring planting season. Make a genuine commitment to safe preparation. Your health and that of your family depend on the safe operation of your farm equipment during this busy season.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Shanghai crude oil futures launched on Monday with mom-and-pop and institutional investors fueling much higher turnover than many expected. China’s new commodity benchmark, aimed at dominating the Asian market, has lured overseas interest. Global commodity trader and miner Glencore, and big merchants Trafigura and Freepoint Commodities were among the first to trade. Media in the region report early 15.4 million barrels of Shanghai’s most-active September contract changed hands during the morning session.

Foreign traders in the new Chinese crude futures get an exemption from income taxes on their commissions, according to an announcement last week from the Ministry of Finance. Reuters reports the tax exemption could help encourage foreign players, despite concerns about foreign exchange and other issues.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court approved an initiative petition seeking a public vote on whether to increase the oil and gas production tax to help fund education. The proposal would increase the tax on oil and gas production in Oklahoma by five percent, to be used mostly for teacher pay raises. In a statement, Oklahoma Oil and Gas Assocation President Chad Warmington said raising the tax again is not a long-term solution. If it makes it to the ballot, Warmington said the group will educate the public about the consequences, which he said could include job losses in the energy sector. Warmington said raising taxes on a single industry is not a cure-all for every financial woe, and said it’s dangerous to further tie education funding to a revenue source that fluctuates radically.

Baker Hughes reported a gain of four active oil rigs and one seeking natural gas, for a weekly nationwide rig count of 995. Canada saw another seasonal decline, down 58 rigs at 161. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 13 active rigs in eastern Kansas, down two, and 28 west of Wichita, up two. Drilling is underway at one site in Barton County and two in Stafford County. Operators are moving in completion tools at two leases in Barton County, six in Ellis County, one in Russell County and two in Stafford County.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 26 new well completions for the week, 365 so far this year. There were two well completions in eastern Kansas. Out of 24 completions in the western half of the state, 11 were dry holes. One completed well in Barton County is producing pay dirt, while two in Stafford County turned out to be dry.

Operators filed 30 new drilling permits across Kansas last week, 10 east of Wichita and 20 in western Kansas. That’s 363 permits for drilling at new locations so far this year. There was one new permit filed in Barton County.

Some big oil and gas companies are beginning to shed some of their more valuable non-core assets to pay down debt and fund their more profitable plays. At least nine publicly traded companies are expected to sell properties over the next six months, according to analysts quoted by Forbes Magazine. Devon Energy, Pioneer Natural Resources, Reliance Industries, and EnerVest have all sold Texas properties in the Eagle Ford, Austin Chalk and Barnett Shale formations.

The United States is targeting South Sudan’s state-owned oil company, its oil and mining ministries and a dozen other oil-related entities in an attempt to stem the financial flow fueling the country’s civil war. According to a release from the State Department, South Sudan’s government and “corrupt official actors” are using oil and mining revenue to purchase weapons, fund militias and undermine peace.

China’s state-run national petroleum company has signed a deal worth $1.18 billion for 10% stakes in two offshore oil and natural gas concessions in the United Arab Emirates’ capital of Abu Dhabi. Major companies Total SA of France, and Italy’s Eni SpA also won shares. BP, whose concessions expired this month, will lose its share, estimated at 100,000 barrels per day.

Decades ago, a student growing up in a clever family used his weekly spelling words to write a story that I still chuckle over. Each spring, I recollect his tale about the Easter Cow who unless offered tasty grasses would scare off the more traditional, egg-delivering rabbit. To prevent empty baskets at their house, this lad and his siblings would share tasty greens with their unique but never seen bovine. Over the years, my mind altered this ingenious family’s holiday rendition until I have my own version that includes greening pastures and newborn calves.

All it takes to trigger flowing creative juices is to drive slowly down a country road on a sunny day with windows rolled down. The sound of tires rotating over gravel soothes the spirit and fires up the right half of the brain, which according to some researchers is the random, intuitive, spontaneous side. Some might call it downright goofy. A few miles into wide open spaces occupied primarily by cows and my brain alters the end result of this former student’s assignment to create entirely new possibilities when it comes to Easter eggs.

Over time, his story evolved so that newly greened pastures dotted with tiny, newborn cows tucked into ovals turned into Easter eggs in my imagination. Despite the fact that most giant rabbit deliveries come in bright colors, gentle pastels, or wrapped foil, my story involves rust, brown, black, sometimes cream, and occasionally speckled orbs soaking up spring sunrays while their moms nibble tender, green shoots. Chocolate eggs are little brown bovines basking in golden heat. The only bunnies are neighboring cottontails and jackrabbits—no anthropomorphic rodents carrying straw baskets in my version.

Even though I know kids prefer Cadbury and speckled malted eggs combined with sugar-crusted marshmallow Peeps to celebrate the season, I love to cruise dirt roads and view gangly calves with unblemished noses and shiny eyes, bodies either rolled up in tight little balls or wobbling on spindly legs. My mom seconds my thought that this is the one time in the life of pasture-raised beef that they’re ever so clean.

If I’m lucky, I’ll see little burgers-to-be frolicking across fields with equally cute calves or impatiently butting mommas’ bags to bring down belly-filling milk. Equally enjoyable is watching huge mothers who aren’t nearly so clean and adorable as their babes caring so tenderly for their spring deliveries.

What I learned from my clever student was that I need not tie myself to traditional holiday stories. If it pleases me to drive across Kansas prairies under cotton ball filled blue skies imagining pastures polka-dotted with newborns posing as shiny ebony and russet Easter eggs then I should savor such moments.

This youngster’s story evolved once he shared it with me, so who knows how this wisp of fancy will inspire new traditions in someone else’s imagination. After all, the Easter Rabbit started somewhere. Maybe someday an egg delivering armadillo or noisy magpie will help kids celebrate spring.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.

Don Yoder remembers tagging along on coon’ hunts with his dad when he was 6 or 7 years old and could barely carry a gun. In school, he fondly remembers pest hunts, and after high school he was introduced to goose hunting.

Today, his girls enjoy hunting also and 11 year old Samantha already has 3 Kansas deer to her credit. John Yoder’s brother-in-law got him interested in bow hunting his senior year of high school, and John’s wife Monica shot her first deer 2 years ago. His family routinely harvests and consumes 6 deer a year.

We were recently invited to a wild game feed put on for several years now by a group of avid Christian hunters and fishermen at Maranatha Mennonite Church outside South Hutchinson, where both Don and John Yoder and their families attend. I’m not a total newbie to wild game feeds, so I figured I could pretty well predict what would “be for dinner” when we arrived. At most wild game feeds there are typically 2 or 3 venison dishes, a couple fish recipes, maybe some wild turkey and possibly something exotic like beaver or muskrat.

I don’t mean to slight a menu like that, as that’s some good eatin.’ But what awaited us at this feast was like the Golden Corral of wild game dinners. Three eight foot tables filled with gigantic roasters, crock pots and big foil pans stretched across the floor, and that didn’t count the tables of salads, veggies’ and deserts, which I have to admit took a backseat to the meat (yes, I really just said deserts took a backseat to meat!)

In all those roasters, crock pots and big foil pans, were goose roll-ups of 3 different flavors, jalapeño, pineapple and banana pepper, wild pig fixed 3 different ways, smoked back straps, smoked hind quarter and cheese bombs which were wild pig sausage around a chunk of mozzarella cheese, a smoked venison hind quarter and venison cheese bombs, fried striper, baked rabbit, elk burgers, crock pot pheasant, wild turkey and the coup de grace, mountain lion summer sausage.

About ten years ago, Mike Warren and Henry Yoder, both avid goose hunters, decided it was time to do something tangible as a way of thanking a couple big land owners who pretty much gave them free rein to hunt on any of their property, and unbeknown to them at that time, the annual Maranatha Mennonite Church big game feed was born. The first couple feasts were held in late summer in Mike Warren’s back yard for a few friends and those land owners, and their signature dish became goose roll-ups. As word spread and they desired to invite more people from the community, the church became a more suitable venue, the game dishes became more diverse and now the dinner is held the 3rd Saturday of March each year. Besides a way to thank landlords for the use of their land, the event has become a popular community outreach, bringing neighbors together to share a meal, as well as offering an opportunity for someone searching for a place to worship or someone who needs a spiritual boost in their life to meet church members outside of a church service.

Although many hands helped make this year’s wild game feed a success, 6 men provided the “lions” share of the meat. Don and John Yoder are part of a Bible study group whose members provide much of the meat for each year’s feast. This year’s pheasant, turkey and wild hog meat were harvested by members of the group. The events signature dish, as it were, is still goose roll-ups, and Thursday night before this year’s meal, over a dozen men gathered together to begin the process. Nearly forty goose breasts were cut into pieces and put into the 3 flavors of marinade. Friday night the group convened again and nearly 1000 goose roll-ups were assembled and made ready to grill or smoke. A first this year were venison and wild boar cheese bombs, made from strips of meat wrapped around a chunk of mozzarella cheese then smoked or grilled. They get my vote as regulars every year.

Going by the number of tables and chairs they had set up, the guys figured upwards of 240 people attended this year’s meal and some of the delicacies were gone before everyone had a chance to try them. When I asked Don and John what else they wanted expressed in this story, they emphatically agreed a heartfelt thanks to all their wives was needed. So thanks girls for allowing your men to spend the time putting this feast together and for allowing them to spend the time harvesting all that meat from God’s Creation. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Americans spend almost twice as much on health care as other developed countries, but generally have poorer health outcomes, according to a study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The analysis of data from 2013-2016 compared the U.S. with ten high-income countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The study found that in 2016, the U.S. spent 17.8% of GDP on health care while other countries only spent 9.6% (Australia) up to 12.4% (Switzerland). All ten of the other countries essentially covered every citizen (99-100%) with health insurance. The U.S. covered 90% of citizens with health insurance and had the highest proportion with private insurance.

Americans easily had the highest rate of overweight and obese citizens (70.1%) and the highest rate of infant mortality. U.S. life expectancy is the lowest of developed countries at 78.8 years and for the first time in modern history, future Americans will live shorter lives.

However, many pet theories for this rapid escalation of American health care costs were disproved. Some had blamed Americans for going to the doctor too often, but the U.S. has roughly similar rates of utilization as the other countries. With 2.6 doctors and 11.1 nurses per 1,000, our workforce was roughly equivalent to the other ten countries. So why the higher cost?

Medical doctor salaries were much higher. U.S. general practitioners average over $218,000 per year while pay ranges from $86,607 to $154,126 in the other countries. Nurses in America are also paid more. Even more dramatic is the cost of pharmaceuticals, where Americans average spending $1443 per capita annually compared to $466 to $939 in other countries. A few procedures did emerge as perhaps over-used in America, mainly knee surgery and C-sections. We also use more MRI and CT scans.

But a really important difference was “administrative costs” that gobbled up eight percent of the U.S. health care bill compared to only one to three percent in other countries. This points the finger at our bureaucracy of private insurance companies and at the complex electronic coding and added personnel required to manage continuously-updated digital record-keeping.

However, all of these measurable factors only accounted for 60% of the added cost of American health care, leaving 40% yet to be explained.

I propose that the majority of the remaining excess cost of American health care can be attributed to the steady decline in science literacy.

What was not measured—and admittedly, it would be hard to measure—is the average citizen’s understanding of anatomy and physiology, our owner’s manual. Across the United States, only a few states train high school teachers in biology. Instead, most train one-size-teach-all science teachers who receive little or no coursework in anatomy and physiology. Even in Kansas where we do license separate biology teachers, the large research universities do not require human anatomy and physiology. As a result, you cannot teach what you do not know.

This is not the case in the other developed countries where science makes up far more of the K–12 curriculum. For instance, in Germany, an average citizen can self-refer to a medical specialist because they have studied human anatomy and physiology as well as basic microbiology and diseases. In China, a mere high school graduate has learned more science than U.S. elementary teachers learn by the time they graduate college.

The result is that we have a population that is profoundly ignorant about their health. This basic medical illiteracy in turn costs us in bad lifestyle choices and wrong health care decisions. In addition, medical illiteracy contributes to indirect costs in higher medical insurance due to ignorant jury decisions.
Until we add a year of basic anatomy, physiology and microbiology to our high school curriculum, train enough biology teachers, and start graduating knowledgeable patients, we will continue paying this stupidity tax.

John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.

It seems like every few months we’re treated to the results of a new survey that has something dismaying to report about how young people approach free speech. Last fall, the Brookings Institute reported that college students have a number of misconceptions about how the First Amendment works — a significant percentage believes that it doesn’t protect hate speech, and that it requires that an offensive speaker at a public university be matched with another speaker with an opposing view. Last week, a survey conducted by Gallup and the Knight Foundation found that 37 percent of college students think that shouting down an offensive campus speaker is acceptable; even more troubling, another 10 percent said that violence is also an acceptable tactic for silencing an offensive speaker.

Findings like these always lead to a lot of hand-wringing about the intolerance of today’s youth, followed by a backlash of editorials pointing out that campus protests — especially at elite colleges — are over-covered by the news media, usually topped off by internet commentators decrying liberal snowflakes and at least one columnist reminiscing about the ’60s at Berkeley. I enjoy that as much as the next person, but let’s skip it for today. Why do college students have a shaky understanding of the First Amendment and an aversion to opposing or controversial views?

The problem starts in high school. I’m not just referring to the lack of mandatory civic education in public schools. Even in schools where students do learn about the First Amendment, many school administrators don’t particularly want their students exercising their freedom of speech once they’ve learned about it.

Take the school walkouts that took place across the nation on March 14 to protest gun violence. About a week before that, my colleague Gene Policinski and I wrote a set of guidelines for students, teachers and school administrators trying to figure out how to approach the event. We advised students to weigh their options carefully, as their First Amendment rights would probably not protect them if their school decided to discipline them for taking part in the walkout. (Public schools can punish students for speech that “substantially disrupts” the learning environment, and a walkout could very well do just that.) But we also advised school administrators to think twice before defaulting to disciplinary action — “Given that we live in an age where there is much concern that young people don’t understand the Constitution or support free speech, punishing them for exercising it, even if…school administrators [have] that discretion, seems counterproductive.”

That’s why it saddened me to read that a high school in Arkansas decided to punish the three students who participated in the walkout by giving them a choice between a two-day suspension and corporal punishment. (Fun fact: corporal punishment is still legal in 22 states.) All of the students chose corporal punishment; one of them wrote a fair-minded and eloquent account of the experience for the Daily Beast:

“The punishment was not dealt with malice or cruelty, in fact, I have the utmost respect for all the adults involved. They were merely doing their job as the school board and school policy dictated…I believe that corporal punishment has no place in schools, even if it wasn’t painful to me. The idea that violence should be used against someone who was protesting violence as a means to discipline them is appalling.”

Even a two-day suspension seems disproportionate to the offense of leaving your classroom for seventeen minutes.

It was also disheartening for me to talk to the two high school journalists who published a meticulously-researched story about a fired teacher — and ended up having their story censored by the administration and their newspaper privileges revoked. As one of the journalists, Max Gordon, said, “[T]he whole point of a student newspaper is to teach the students. We want to grow and learn and experience these things, but if the administration tries to shut down any form of outside-the-box thinking…it really hampers the growth by journalists.”

And when educators emphasize obedience and conformity over the free expression, they need to think about what lessons they’re actually conveying.

Lata Nott is executive director of the First Amendment Center of the Newseum Institute. Contact her via email at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @LataNott.

Friend,

While we welcomed the rainfall this week, as you can see in the picture below, it was not enough. As the threats from the drought persist, we must not neglect the harm that the lack of perception does to the district and our crops. Last week’s moisture was welcomed, but we are still far away from the precipitation levels needed to alleviate the drought and wildfire threats.

Sen. Pat Roberts, Sen. Moran, and I signed a letter to the USDA last week asking them to provide crucial assistance to our Kansas producers during this time. The unpredictability of mother nature is a stark reminder of why we need the certainty provided by a comprehensive Farm Bill.

National Agriculture Week!

On Tuesday, the nation celebrated the 45th National Agriculture Day. The agriculture industry contributes $992 billion to the U.S. economy and supports more than 21 million jobs! Kansas continues to be a leader in Ag not just in America but across the globe.

 Besides being the number one producer of wheat in the country, as a state, we also are the top supplier of sorghum and beef. Kansas alone produces enough wheat every year to bake 36 billion loaves of bread, which is enough to feed everyone in the world for about two weeks! With 60 percent of our district’s economy agriculture-related and 45,000 farmers in our district alone, the success of the Big First is largely dependent on our hardworking farmers and producers.

So, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to thank a producer today.

Right to Try Act Passes House

This week the House finally passed The Right to Try Act. This bill authorizes the patients’ right to use experimental drugs that have passed the first phase of safety trials administrated by the FDA. I am a proud co-sponsor of this bill because, despite the terminally ill diagnosis, these patients are not giving up hope, and members of Congress should not try to steal that from them. These drugs could be the last shot to save someone’s life. Go to my website to read more on this legislation.

Omnibus Spending Package

Yesterday Congress passed the omnibus spending bill, which appropriates the funds agreed upon in the FY 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act. This appropriations package has victories that will directly impact Kansas, including a crucial fix for Section 199A, a delay of the Electronic Logging Device mandate on livestock haulers, pay raises for our troops at Fort Riley, rural broadband access expansion, and funds for school safety measures.

But it is not a perfect bill. I have received a lot of calls with concerns on our government’s budget process. I whole-heartedly agree with these concerns, the dollar amount of this spending bill does alarm me, and the last-minute process that we are required to approve a 2,000+ page budget is ridiculous. But I think it is important to mention that congress passed the amount in this bill back in February this omnibus was just allocating those funds, and as it unfolded I believe this bill does a lot for Kansas.

I voted for this omnibus to stop neglecting the needs of our military families and national security, to fix the ‘grain glitch’ that pitted Kansas agri-businesses against each other, to secure our schools, and end the digital divide in our rural communities.

This spending package gives our troops the largest pay raise our service members have seen in eight years and the resources they need to protect this country and themselves. That is a top priority for me and the families at Fort Riley. Go to my website to learn more on this spending package.

March 23, 2018

Industrial Hemp

On Wednesday, the Agriculture Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 263, which would allow the Kansas Department of Agriculture to cultivate and research the uses of industrial hemp.  Principally, the research would be conducted in an effort to analyze its required soils, growing conditions, harvest methods, and the potential for an industrial hemp market in Kansas.

Additionally, a pilot program in Russell County would be established to study its effect on economic development and the development of industrial hemp products.  During the hearing, with many constituents from Russell in attendance, I testified in support of the bill, as did the Department of Agriculture, and private citizens.  Data was included that showed hemp uses 66% less water than corn, requires virtually no pesticides or fertilizers, and has great potential to improve agricultural and economic activity in rural Kansas.

Last session, the House passed House Bill 2182, which would have established the Kansas Agricultural Industry Growth Act.  This bill allowed institutions of higher learning to cultivate and conduct research on industrial hemp.

In February, the Senate approved Senate Bill 263 with a final vote count of 36-3.  The Agriculture Committee worked and amended the bill on Tuesday, March 20 and passed it out to the full House for deliberation.

Budget Bill Passes Committee

On Monday morning, March 19, the Appropriations Committee began discussion on House Bill 2468, which will be the budget bill for the Kansas House of Representatives for fiscal years 2018 and 2019.  Due to the education funding study being released last Friday and presentations in the K-12 Education Committee on Monday afternoon, we resumed discussion on Tuesday, March 20.  Items that we addressed with the other requests from the Budget Committee reports, were addressing foster care within the Department of Children and Family, bonding with the Kansas Department of Transportation, Judicial Branch and state employee pay increases, and the nursing program with Emporia State University.  The budget bill passed committee and now heads to House the floor.

Bills Passed In the House of Representatives

Last Wednesday, the House debated House Bill 2516, which would provide immunity to an individual, under specified circumstances, who enters a vehicle either by force or otherwise, to remove a vulnerable person or animal.  The bill passed 122-1, I voted in favor.

On Tuesday, we debated Senate Bill 375.  This bill authorizes the operation of an emergency vehicle at a gross weight not exceeding 86,000 pounds.  The bill also defines a “towaway trailer transporter combination” as a trailer transporter towing unit and two trailers or semitrailers with a total weight not exceeding 26,000 pounds.

In the Appropriations Committee, we worked House Bill 2773, the Kansas Safe and Secure Schools Act.  This bill is regarding school facility safety and would be a coordinated effort between the Kansas Department of Education and local school boards.  It did pass out of committee and will be debated on the House floor.

Contact Information

As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected].  Also, if you happen to visit the statehouse, please let my office know.

It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions.  I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.